Many systems transmit a signal for activating a tag. One such system is an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system. In an EAS system, tags are affixed to inventory items, and EAS detector units (i.e. tag readers) produce an alarm signal when they detect the presence of a tag within their range. EAS detector units are commonly placed near the entrances and exits to stores or factories and provide alarm signals when tagged inventory items get within range of the units. An EAS alarm alerts the appropriate personnel so that they can determine any necessary action. The tags used in this application can be deactivated by store personnel, for example, with the appropriate equipment so that the items with the affixed tags can leave the building without an EAS detector unit sensing the tag and providing the alarm signal.
Typical EAS detector units periodically and repeatedly transmit an activation signal of a particular frequency, duration, and duty cycle to excite a tag for detection. An EAS detector unit has a transmitter for transmitting the activation signal and a detection circuit for detecting the presence of a tag within a range of the detector unit. The type of load presented to the transmitter and the fairly high voltage and current levels of the transmitter make a pulse width modulated (PWM) type of transmitter economical. Recent transmitter designs, which are controlled by software, use a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controller to determine how the transmitter operates. The PID parameters of the controller may be set so that the transmitter waveform has a proper risetime and minimal overshoot, and that the amplitude be well regulated. The range within which a detector unit will detect a tag is determined by the current amplitude (i.e., current level of the transmitter) and various other factors including receiver characteristics, tag parameters, and some environmental factors.
As store display items and people move around within the range of an EAS detector unit, the load presented to the transmitter changes. This affects the characteristics of the activation signal (e.g., risetime, overshoot, and regulation). An activation signal that varies from the desired waveform can cause the detector unit to falsely identify the presence of a tag within the range, or to not identify the presence of a tag that is within the range. This marginalizes the usefulness of the system in that it alerts personnel to a problem when there is not one, and does not alert personnel to a possible problem when there is one. Even though a transmitter current level is set upon installation of the EAS detector unit, the effective range is also subject to variance by the changing load conditions.
For each current level (e.g., range) and load, a different combination of PID parameters may be necessary to achieve the desired activation waveform.
Systems for transmitting a signal for activating a tag have utilized a look-up table in memory of the controller so that the controller can associate some PID parameter combination with some desired current level. The current level values are discrete and therefore so are the combinations of possible PID parameters in a given reader. Look-up tables are also designed so that the PID parameters are adequate with some but not all desired loads. The granularity of current values and PID parameters make this table a compromise point of transmitter performance.
Signals for activating tags include a wide variety of transmission signals. Some forms of transmission signals that may be used to activate tags include, for example, radio frequency, microwaves, electromagnetic, acoustomagnetic, inductive, and electrical.
A wide variety of systems may transmit a signal for activating a tag. Such systems include, for example, EAS systems, single bit radio frequency identification (RFID) systems (e.g., radio frequency, microwave, frequency divider, electromagnetic, and acoustomagnetic), and n bit (e.g., memory based), electronic or physical RFID systems (e.g., inductive coupled full or half duplex, electromagnetic backscatter full or half duplex, close coupling full or half duplex, electrical coupling full and half duplex, and sequential via inductive coupling or surface acoustic wave). Such systems include active and partially active RFID systems. In partially active RFID systems, the RFID reader periodically transmits an activation signal of a set frequency, duration, and duty cycle. The tag senses the activation signal and transmits data back in response during periods when the reader is not transmitting the activation signal. These systems may also suffer the same problems as EAS systems in that tags may not be properly activated if there is a poor activation signal, or the reader may not identify a tag sending data and either broadcast an activation signal while the tag is trying to transmit data to the reader or simply not detect the data because of an improperly configured detection unit.